Machine for splitting ratan



UNTTED STATES PATENT oEEIcE.

JOSEPH SAWYER, OF SOUTH ROYALSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

MACHINE FOR SPLITTING RATAN.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 10,613, dated March 7, 1854.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH SAwYER, of South Royalston, of the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, at present residing in Fitchburg, in the county and State aforesaid, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Preparing Ratan for Cane-Seat Chairs; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figure l is an isometric view of the Ina.- chine; Fig. 2, a front view with the feed rollers removed; Fig. 8, a plan of the cutter.

Ratans for cane seat chairs have heretofore been prepared by planing, or scraping off the surface of the cane. It is found, however, that this operation bends the cane so abruptly at the point where it is out that the enamel is broken. and the bers are so much weakened that it soon sags in the chair on being used. To remedy this evil I have devised the following method, which consists in splitting the ratan into four or more parts and subsequently removing the interio-r portion therefrom.

The machine which I have contrived for the purpose of performing the first part of the operation forms the subject. of my present improvement and may be described as follows:

A. is the framework of the machine; B B',

the feeding rollers which are carried by shafts C, C', which latter are driven by the pulleys D, D. The lower shaft C runs in Stationary boxes in the frame. The shaft C of the upper roller has a slight vertical Inotion in the slot a to enable the rollers to ac'- commodate themselves to the size of the cane. The shafts C C ,have each a motion in the slots a, a', and are connected together by the links b, o, d, c being pivoted at its centerr and connected at the points f, f with the other two.

E is a spring which bears against the link e in such a manner as to bring the rollers B together. As the cane is forced in between this pair of rollers they are allowed-tomove each an equal amount from the center of the line and thus the center of the cane is' made constantly to correspond with that .of the cutter.

F is the cutter so formed as to split the cane into four or more equal portions, which is accomplished without bending it vabruptly at any'point. It is set in a stock G and se,- cured ink position by a screw g. The cane is fed through the machine between the rollers B, B', and coming in contact with the cutter is split as above described, the interior portion being removed in some appropriate manner.

What I cla-imas my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination of the feed rollers B, B with the cutter constructed and operatingas described. A

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my signature.

'i JOSEPH SAWYER.

Witnesses: v

STEPHEN SHEPLEY GOEDSMITH F. BAILEY. 

